


Chained

by Koschei_Oakdown



Category: Green Lantern - All Media Types
Genre: Assumptions, Blindfolds, Chains, False Accusations, Imprisonment, M/M, Rescue, Suspicions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:42:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23751781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Koschei_Oakdown/pseuds/Koschei_Oakdown
Summary: Sinestro is rescued from unpleasant imprisonment by an unexpected saviour but remains unimpressed.
Relationships: Hal Jordan/Thaal Sinestro
Comments: 7
Kudos: 31





	Chained

**Author's Note:**

> Credit to DC Comics.

Hours and hours had gone by yet Sinestro was still no closer to escaping. Chains bound him to the floor, heavy and unyielding, and his struggle against them had left his wrists bloodied and raw. They throbbed each time he moved.

A blindfold lay tied across Sinestro's eyes so he couldn't see the damage to his hands. Nor could he see the room he resided within, nor those who had captured him. His world, ever since he had been caught due to his own foolishness, was one made of never ending darkness.

That darkness was unrelenting. It seeped into Sinestro and compressed the space around him. To struggle was to experience more pain and he'd given that up. He cursed himself for allowing this to happen in the first place, and then also for his inability to escape.

One sound broke through Sinestro's cycling thoughts of self blame. A lock had clicked and hinges squeaked as the door trapping Sinestro was opened.

Silence fell over the room and Sinestro waited, frozen, breath caught, for something further to happen. His ears strained, his chin lifted and he was trembling, unable to properly control his reaction to all he had been through.

That moment was like a thin sheet of ice ready to shatter and when it finally did, the cause was a voice travelling cautiously through the air. "Sinestro?" Hal asked and he sounded quite stunned.

Panic sparked through Thaal, as did a deep, furious anger. So it was Hal who had brought him here, Hal who had caused all of this pain. That was what Thaal assumed. Why else would Hal be here? And for it, Hal would die. There would be no escape. He would suffer as Sinestro had suffered.

Ignoring the pain and indeed the stupidity of the action, Sinestro began to heave violently against the chains holding him down. Whether he planned to kill Hal or escape him, Thaal wasn't entirely sure. All he knew was he couldn't stay where he was.

The door slammed shut with a loud sound. "Sinestro!" Hal hadn't left, was instead hurrying closer. "Stop that! What are you doing?" His hands closed around Sinestro's forearms.

"Get away from me," Sinestro hissed, yanking himself back and away from Hal. All he succeeded in doing was mangling more skin around his wrists. "Here to boast, are you, Jordan? Do you enjoy seeing me like this?" It was not something Thaal had thought possible of Hal.

"What?!" Hal practically yelped out his response, perhaps surprised Sinestro had caught on so quickly. Then he grabbed Sinestro's head and held him still. "Sinestro," he said, voice steady and calm now, "I swear to you, this wasn't me. I wouldn't -"

On that last word, Hal's tone overflowed with emotion and he broke off. Sinestro had stopped struggling. He couldn't recall when that had happened but his hands were dripping in blood and the skin above them was burning.

In silence, the two of them sat there, face to face as well, Thaal assumed for he could still not see anything. "I'm going to free you," Hal informed finally. "Alright? So don't freak out."

One of Hal's hands dropped to Sinestro's shoulder where it slowly made its way down his arm. Every second, Sinestro held very still. If anything went wrong, he decided, he would sink his teeth into Hal and do some proper damage.

When Hal reached the point where the chains wrapped around Sinestro's wrist, it took only seconds for them to drop away. For the first time in a long while, Sinestro's hand was free.

Cold stale air could be felt on Sinestro's wrist now and it actually did something to increase his pain. He must have made some quiet sound or expression for Hal was quick to catch on and soft bandages soon bound the injured flesh.

That taken care of, Hal turned his attention to Sinestro's other hand. Nothing changed about the process and it wasn't long before Sinestro had both hands back to himself. Was he supposed to be grateful? Hal being the cause of all this still hadn't been ruled out.

"How'd this happen?" Hal asked as Sinestro began trying to take off the blindfold still blocking his vision. "You're not one to get caught. Or to be held. I'm surprised you didn't figure out some escape."

After the trauma Sinestro's hands had been through, they were struggling with carrying out the task he wanted done. They fumbled and fiddled and shook and he growled under his breath.

The only person around for Thaal to direct his frustration towards happened to be Hal and so he snarled, "Why ask a question you already know the answer to? This was surely your doing."

Not once did Thaal consider asking Hal for help with the blindfold. It was not an option. It would invite comment and scrutiny, and would perhaps indicate that Sinestro was in any way weak. He was not and he'd prove it. Just as soon as he pulled off the obstruction to his vision.

"I didn't do anything to make this happen," Hal denounced the accusation. "You should know that. Aren't you supposed to be smart?" It was insulting.

With every word out of Hal's mouth and every clumsy slip of fingers against the blindfold, Thaal was growing more and more frustrated. His lips pulled back from his teeth and he considered where on Hal's body would be the most painful place to bite into.

Hal sighed. "Give me that," he said and it was Hal's fingers that caught in the blindfold now. In seconds, Sinestro could see once more and he glared hatefully at the strip of cloth in Hal's hands.

"If I was really responsible for bringing you here," Hal tried to reason, fidgeting with the blindfold he held, "then why would I free you? That doesn't make sense, does it?"

To Thaal, it made perfect sense and he told Hal exactly that, "You are trying to gain my trust. You hope I will feel indebted to you. I do not. You are despicable, Jordan, and I won't be misled so easily."

The expression that crossed Hal's face was mostly just exasperated, part amused and part tired. He opened his mouth to speak but there was a knock on the door. The voice of a Green Lantern called out, asking for a response from Hal.

Before moving to answer the door, Hal pressed his fingers to his lips in a signal for Sinestro to be quiet. It was unnecessary. Why would Sinestro wish to draw the attention of Green Lanterns?

While Hal was distracted, Sinestro pulled himself to his feet and hobbled from wall to wall, searching for any kind of exit. "Just give me a minute," Hal was saying to the Green Lantern. "I've got it handled. It's really nothing important." A lie then. Hal was lying to a colleague.

Interested, Sinestro paused, leaning his weight against one of the walls. The door closed and Hal returned. "There's Green Lanterns everywhere," he told Sinestro. "You're not getting out of here without being caught."

Sinestro sneered. "This is doing nothing to convince me of your innocence, Jordan," he warned. "Why would this place be overrun with Green Lanterns if it was not their prison?"

"Because we invaded to put a stop to the criminal activity here," Hal answered simply. And it did make sense, to Thaal's annoyance. He didn't want to believe Hal.

If Sinestro's capture and resulting pain had not been caused by the Green Lantern Corps, then someone else was responsible. They would die instead of Hal. They would suffer greatly and Sinestro would ensure it. Just as soon as he got out of here.

Thinking not of the Green Lanterns who blocked his path, Sinestro headed for the door. Hal caught his elbow. "Where do you think you're going? I told you. There are Green Lanterns everywhere. You won't get past them."

"Bother somebody else," Sinestro retorted, trying to shake Hal off of him. "I plan to seek my revenge. You shall not stand in my way. Nor shall anybody else."

As stubborn as ever, Hal was shaking his head. "I can't let you do that," he said, sounding troubled. "Those responsible will be put on trial and probably imprisoned. What they do is inhumane. Trust me, you only got a taste of it."

"A taste is enough to know they deserve death," Sinestro declared. He was still trying, though it was clearly futile, to get Hal's hand off him. "All who hurt Sinestro will die. It is only right."

Far from retreating, Hal only grabbed for Sinestro's other arm as well, holding him tightly in place. "Kill me then," he ordered, everything about the words incredibly fierce. "I've hurt you plenty of times. Don't I deserve it too? Kill me first."

Sinestro was just angry enough to agree, "Gladly," and he struck out, smashing Hal and himself down to the floor. The fight, if it could be called that, lasted only a few seconds. It was much more like a domination and Sinestro ended up, face first, pressed flat against the ground.

The weight on top of Sinestro was of course, Hal Jordan. "Thaal," he began, and it was more like a sigh really, "if I can do this to you by myself, what do you think is going to happen when you go out there and face hundreds of Green Lanterns?"

"They are not you," Sinestro growled out but his face was flushed with humiliation. It had been a long time since he'd been so easily defeated by Hal and he hated it.

A soft disbelieving laugh came from Hal. "I think the hundreds of Green Lanterns are going to be a lot more powerful than just me, Sin, don't be stupid."

Hal was delusional. How could he call Sinestro stupid when in fact it was he who was displaying the required behaviour? Surely he knew Thaal found him to be more dangerous, more powerful, than the entire rest of the Green Lantern Corps all working together.

"Surrender," Hal said then. "We can take you back to Oa, get you cleaned up. You'll get a nice warm cell all to yourself and when it comes time to put these criminals on trial, you'll be a key witness. So no execution in the meantime."

"I would rather die and have my rotting corpse be eaten by maggots in a ditch," was Sinestro's insulting answer. "What I want is to go home, Jordan. And to have my revenge."

"Well, I can't give you that, can I?" Hal sounded just a little irritated and his weight shifted. Judging by the new pressure down Sinestro's back, it was now Hal's knee that was pinning him. "Or maybe I can…" came the thoughtful addition.

Naturally, Sinestro was very suspicious but he said nothing, waiting for Hal to elaborate. "I'll tell you what." The pressure eased slightly as Hal shifted his weight once more. "Promise not to seek revenge and I'll let you go. I'll escort you through all those Green Lanterns out there. You can go home."

While not entirely appealing, this option was at least better than being locked in a cell. Still, as ever, Sinestro was suspicious. "What do you get out of it?" he demanded.

"Justice. You gone." It was fairly obvious Hal was shrugging though Sinestro could see nothing but the floor stretching out before him. Every move Hal made was absorbed by Sinestro's back so Thaal felt it when Hal leaned in close. "What do you say?"

Turning his attention away from Hal for that moment, Sinestro allowed himself to consider his choices. Without Hal's help, it seemed very unlikely he'd make it out of here. Even if only because he couldn't imagine how he'd get Hal off his back.

"Very well," Sinestro agreed and finally, to his relief, the pressure on his back lifted. Carefully, prepared to make a run for it, Sinestro stood up. He could run. Now Hal was no longer holding him down, it would be easy.

They stood opposite each other, Hal watching as Thaal flicked his gaze from wall to wall, searching for escape. Hal stood in front of the door. Getting past him would be impossible. And there was no other exit. Sinestro would have to do as agreed.

So far, Hal hadn't moved, and was still watching Sinestro. Perhaps he suspected some of what Thaal was thinking. "Are we not leaving?" Sinestro prompted him snappishly. He'd had enough of all of this.

Though Hal nodded, there was a slight smile on his lips and he glanced at Sinestro far more than was necessary as he moved for the door. It did nothing to lessen Sinestro's suspicions and he asked, "What is it?"

"Nothing," Hal was quick to say, hand on the door but not yet opening it. "Just… I forget sometimes. That I actually really like you. A lot." He shrugged and made to open the door.

Before the door could open even a crack, Sinestro had grasped Hal's hand. His wrist twinged with pain but he had to know, "Why?" All suspicion, all irritation had vanished just like that. Now, Thaal was intensely focused on Hal and this unexpected topic.

Hal's shoulders tensed. However, his hand didn't move from under Sinestro's and his white gaze flicked up. "Why do I forget? I'd think that was obvious." Something infinitely sad clouded Hal's expression.

It wasn't difficult to understand Hal's meaning. "You hate me," Sinestro decided. "And we fight. It should be a guarantee that I receive your dislike."

"And you do," Hal said quickly. "Don't get me wrong. I really don't like some of the things you do. But you're likeable too, Sin. At least to me." That was when Hal did move his hand, setting it on his hip as he turned and rested his back against the door.

Sinestro waited. He wanted to hear more. It had never really caught his attention before but he doubted many in the universe would go so far as to say he was likeable. Most hated him without reservations.

"Who wouldn't like you?" Hal muttered, almost as though Sinestro wasn't intended to hear. "You're brilliant. You don't back down from a fight, even when the chance of winning is pretty low. Bit like me really. I've never met anyone so stubborn, or so strong."

There was more, that was clear, but Hal bit down on his lip and shook his head. "Don't let it go to your head," he advised, patting Sinestro's shoulder and then he did finally pull open the door.


End file.
